Nuclear Power Essays - Radioactivity, Nuclear Technology

Nuclear Power Radioactive wastes, must for the protection of mankind be stored or disposed in such a manner that isolation from the biosphere is assured until they have decayed to innocuous levels. If this is not done, the world could face severe physical problems to living species living on this planet. Some atoms can disintegrate spontaneously. As they do, they emit ionizing radiation. Atoms having this property are called radioactive. By far the greatest number of uses for radioactivity in Canada relate not to the fission, but to the decay of radioactive materials - radioisotopes. These are unstable atoms that emit energy for a period of time that varies with the isotope. During this active period, while the atoms are 'decaying' to a stable state their energies can be used according to the kind of energy they emit. Since the mid 1900's radioactive wastes have been stored in different manners, but since several years new ways of disposing and storing these wastes have been developed so they may no longer be harmful. A very advantageous way of storing radioactive wastes is by a process called 'vitrification'. Vitrification is a semi-continuous process that enables the following operations to be carried out with the same equipment: evaporation of the waste solution mixed with the additives necesary for the production of borosilicate glass, calcination and elaboration of the glass. These operations are carried out in a metallic pot that is heated in an induction urnace. The vitrification of one load of wastes comprises of the following stages. The first step is 'Feeding'. In this step the vitrification receives a constant flow of mixture of wastes and of additives until it is 80% full of calcine. The feeding rate and heating power are adjusted so that an aqueous phase of several litres is permanently maintained at the surface of the pot. The second step is the 'Calcination and glass evaporation'. In this step when the pot is practically full of calcine, the temperature is progressively increased up to 1100 to 1500 C and then is maintained for several hours so to allow the glass to elaborate. The third step is 'Glass casting'. The glass is cast in a special container. The heating of the output of the vitrification pot causes the glass plug to melt, thus allowing the glass to flow into containers which are then transferred into the storage. Although part of the waste is transformed into a solid product there is still treatment of gaseous and liquid wastes. The gases that escape from the pot during feeding and calcination are collected and sent to ruthenium filters, condensers and scrubbing columns. The ruthenium filters consist of a bed of glass pellets coated with ferrous oxide and maintained at a temperature of 500 C. In the treatment of liquid wastes, the condensates collected contain about 15% ruthenium. This is then concentrated in an evaporator where nitric acid is destroyed by formaldehyde so as to maintain low acidity. The concentration is then neutralized and enters the vitrification pot. Once the vitrification process is finished, the containers are stored in a storage pit. This pit has been designed so that the number of containers that may be stored is equivalent to nine years of production. Powerful ventilators provide air circulation to cool down glass. The glass produced has the advantage of being stored as solid rather than liquid. The advantages of the solids are that they have almost complete insolubility, chemical inertias, absence of volatile products and good radiation resistance. The ruthenium that escapes is absorbed by a filter. The amount of ruthenium likely to be released into the environment is minimal. Another method that is being used today to get rid of radioactive waste is the 'placement and self processing radioactive wastes in deep underground cavities'. This is the disposing of toxic wastes by incorporating them into molten silicate rock, with low permeability. By this method, liquid wastes are injected into a deep underground cavity with mineral treatment and allowed to self-boil. The resulting steam is processed at ground level and recycled in a closed system. When waste addition is terminated, the chimney is allowed to boil dry. The heat generated by the radioactive wastes then melts the

Cylone Picture Book Essay

Cylone Picture Book Essay Cylone Picture Book Essay Isn't it crazy how life is one thing then in a second it becomes something else. Here I am, Sophie. A boring girl walking her dog in a small quite town. Then suddenly everything happens. At first I thought it was a little wind then I was blown off my feet and slammed against the pavement my dog pushed on-top of me. Then I realised it was a cyclone. The wind rung though my ears, like a loud high pitched scream. I could feel myself losing balance as the wind slammed though me. I picked up my dog and ran. I don't know what I was thinking when I ran. I just ran. The wind was stronger than ever and I could feel myself being dragged from the ground. I grabbed a tree and held on to it, but not for long after a second the tree uprooted and was flung across the road me going with it. I felt my eyes close as my head smashed against the floor. Jaxx? Where is Jaxx!? I shouted. Jaxx was my 3 month old Pomeranian husky and he was the best thing that ever happened to me. I could hear a loud cry it pierced though my ears. I scrambled towards it. Jaxx was trapped underneath a broken street lamp. I squeezed him out and hoisted him against me, the wind was so strong and debris was flying in every direction smashing against my skin. Then I saw something spectacular. Right in the middle of the cyclone there was an untouched spot, a safe spot. It was the eye of the cyclone. I started to run toward it my eyes aching from the wind. I charged through the cyclone inching towards the centre. In the eye everything was still and calm. I stood there in awe of the sight. I was standing untouched while the world around me

Taking Online College Courses to Earn a Degree

Taking Online College Courses to Earn a Degree Online college courses can help you earn a degree, improve your resume, or develop a new skill just for fun. If you’re  interested in starting online college courses, this article will help you get started. Taking Online College Courses That Lead to a Degree A growing number of students are taking online college courses to earn their degrees. Some students earn entire degrees online, some transfer traditional college credits to an online program, and some transfer credits from their online college courses to a traditional school. Online college courses are convenient and many can be taken asynchronously, making it possible to be enrolled in a course and engaged in discussions even though you do not need to log on to a website at a specific time. Online college courses in thought-heavy topics (such as English, humanities, math, etc.) tend to be more common than online college courses covering action-specific subjects. If you are interested in taking online college courses that lead to a degree, make sure that the school you’re choosing is properly accredited. Keep in mind that many traditional and online colleges do not easily accept credit transfers. If your plan includes transferring schools at some point, talk to counselors at both schools to make sure that your online college course credits will be approved.   Taking Online College Courses for Professional Development Even if you don’t want to earn an entire degree through the internet, you can take online college courses to improve your resume and develop skills that are valued in the workplace. You may choose to take online college courses ala carte. Or, you may enroll in an online professional development program. Many programs like the  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Stanford Center for Professional Development allow students to take a sequence of shorter online college courses leading to a professional certificate in a subject like project management, computer security, information technology, or sustainable energy. Check with your workplace or experts in your field to see how a particular online college course will be received in your industry. For example, some computer certification courses that are highly coveted for secretarial work would be considered unnecessary for those employed in a managerial position. Many students are able to take online college courses for free by asking their employers to cover the cost of their tuition. Tuition reimbursement programs are designed for employees that complete coursework or earn degrees related to their position or a position they may qualify for. Even if your employer doesn’t have a formal tuition assistance program in place, he or she may be willing to work with you to subsidize coursework that will help you do better at your job. Taking Online College Courses for Personal Enrichment Online college courses aren’t all about profit and degrees. Many students enroll in online college courses just to learn a skill they are interested in or explore a subject they are curious about. Some schools will allow students to take a class pass/fail so that students do not need to concern themselves with receiving grades. As an alternative to taking online college courses through formal enrollment, you may want to explore many of the free online classes that are now available. Dozens of traditional colleges make their course lectures, assignments, and reading guides openly available to the public as open courseware. By taking free online college courses, you won’t have access to an instructor to help you through the content. Nor will you receive graded feedback. However, you will be able to work at your own pace and learn without paying a dime. There is coursework available on just about every subject, from math to anthropology. Another option is to take advantage of the many free online courses offered outside of the education system altogether. While these aren’t technically â€Å"college† classes, many independent organizations and individuals offer in-depth instruction on a wide variety of topics. For example, Khan Academy provides down-to-earth video lectures on dozens of math topics. Many virtual learners have found these resources easier to understand more than when taking many traditional courses.

Effects Fast Food on Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Effects Fast Food on Society - Essay Example According to the essay findings fast food chains keep on introducing new and tastier items in their menus to keep their customers loyal to the brand. Fast food chains tend to spend hefty amounts on advertising and launching different campaigns. Advertising becomes an effective source of circulation of money in the society. Advertising may have its own adverse affects on the society but it has become a direct or indirect source of livelihood for many individuals, for example, digital display companies get more business, sports teams earn more money than before from the advertising budgets of fast food chains etc. This paper stresses that fast food chains tend to launch different campaigns for the children that might be based on latest movies, super heroes etc. Toys in the kiddy meals tend to attract the children even more. They have made kiddy meals so attractive and colorful that it gets difficult for children to stay away from them. This results in addiction for fast food and resistance to home cooked meals. Households also may demand more food away from home as their manager works longer hours outside the home. In particular, fast food may come to represent a convenient meal option, if such a restaurant is reasonably accessible. Spending for fast food has been shown to increase along with the number of hours worked by a household manager in the labor force. Full service restaurants tend to take longer periods of time in providing food, therefore fast food chains are preferred more.... Paragraph Households also may demand more food away from home as their manager works longer hours outside the home. In particular, fast food may come to represent a convenient meal option, if such a restaurant is reasonably accessible. Spending for fast food has been shown to increase along with the number of hours worked by a household manager in the labor force (e.g., Byrne et al., 1998). By contrast, dining at a full service restaurant can take as long as preparing, eating, and cleaning up after a meal at home. Thus, there is neither a clear theoretical nor empirical relationship between a household's demand for food at full-service restaurants and its time constraints. Paraphrasing The authors refer to a member of the house as the manager; this individual has been defined as a person who is responsible for preparing the food and other chores around the house. The increasing needs of the current times compel more people to work from one family, due to which the manager of the hous e may also be spending lot of time away from home. Due to the shortage of time, quick and convenient supply of food is desired by most families. Full service restaurants tend to take longer periods of time in providing food, therefore fast food chains are preferred more. Commentary This research finding is relevant for the research study since it addresses the prevailing trends of the modern life; people do not have time to prepare food at home therefore they prefer fast food. 2. Health Problems Source: Lin, Biing-Hwan, and Frazao, Elizabeth. â€Å"Away-From-Home Foods Increasingly Important to Quality of American Diet†, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1999. Paragraph Earlier studies suggested that

Self-Introductory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Self-Introductory - Essay Example Some days, I feel that all people are the same. They have the same expressions, same fashion sense, and same body language. But at other times, I feel that my world is filled with so many extreme people. They are all different many ways: their dressing sense, their cultures, their races and their religion. If all of them were to observe me as I observe them, I wonder what they would feel. Would they see an Asian or would they see a person with observant eyes and a passion to discover the world and the people within? Most of the times, I feel that they see only an Asian and stereotype me as a hardworking and business minded person. But how wrong they would be! Sometimes, I imagine myself to be the character of a book by Haruki Murakami. Coming to America in some ways was a journey into one of the books of Murakami. I saw a world quite unlike my own with people having different ideas and different opinions. I like to myself as a character that could change people and their surroundings through his thoughts. If I had such a power, what would I not do? Sitting in this cafà ©, drinking my coffee, I am getting so many ideas. I would make the roadside beggar find a diamond in his hat that the lady who gave him five cents accidentally dropped. But would this make him happy or eventually sad when he gambled it all away? Or I would unleash the barking dog on the old lady who is barely able to walk. Would the dog bite her or would she gain a new energy that she never knew was there all along? On a more global platform, I would become the assistant of Larry Page. Working alongside Larry, I would learn a lot and later apply it to my father’s business that I intend to make as strong as that of Larry Page, Steve Jobs or Bill Clinton. As I sit near the cafà ©, making my coffee last longer, I realize that what I just wrote was typical me. I let my world run on imagination; I do not get up to change my world. This alas is the tragedy of my life.

The Shoe Carnival :: essays research papers

The Shoe Carnival Character List: Whitley (Cashier) Raymond (Floor Supervisor) Jessica (Floor Supervisor) Brett (Sales Associate) Karen (Loss Prevention) Shoplifter(female) Customer #1 Police Officer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Extra Customers in store Setting: The Shoe Carnival is a retail store where this scene takes place. It is approximately 7 p.m. and one of the employee’s, Whitley is returning to work after a brief break. Just as she is approaching the entrance to the store she notices the flashing police lights and a crowd of spectators. She also notices Raymond the Floor Supervisor standing at the door. Employees are wearing lime green shirts and kaki pants; Shoplifter and customers are wearing regular street clothes and the police officer is in uniform. Whitley:† Raymond, what’s going on?† Raymond: â€Å"That lady just tried to steal some shoes and she got caught!† Whitley:† Are you serious? I miss everything! Why did I have to go on break?† Raymond: â€Å"Ha, Ha!† (Chuckle) (Jamie and Jessica are in the â€Å"mike stand† and Karen is on the steps.) Jamie: â€Å"Whitley you missed it girl!† Jessica: †Ha Ha, we caught her and now she looks like a fool!† Whitley: Where is she? Karen: â€Å"She’s in the back office with the police.† (Karen leaves and goes to the office, and Brett walks up toward us.) Brett: â€Å"Man! I did a great job holding that big lady down!† (Raymond over hears this conversation and comes over) Raymond: â€Å"Brett, if I remember correctly, you were standing behind the shelf the whole time while I held the lady down.† Brett: (Loudly) â€Å" Dude! Whatever! I don’t know what you’re talking about!† (Everyone laughs at both Raymond and Brett as they continue to argue) Jessica: â€Å"Whitley that man is ready to check out†. (Begrudgingly, Whitley slowly walked up to the register where Customer #1 was patiently waiting). Whitley: â€Å"Hello Sir, how are you doing? Did you find everything you were looking for? Would you like any socks or shoe cleaner?† Customer #1: â€Å"No thank you, this is fine.† Hey what’s going on?† Whitley: â€Å"Oh nothing, this lady just tried to steal some shoes. We caught her and called the police.† Customer #1: â€Å"That is crazy. People these days will do anything.† (Whitley rings up the customer’s purchase and soon returns to the mike stand).

Free Primary Education in Kenya Essay

Introduction Since independence in, Kenya has had its share of the struggle to make it possible for its population attains education for all. This was out of the realization that education of the population would help fight ills that faced the society, among them included; poverty, ignorance, and disease. In fact, the government treated education as a basic right for every Kenyan child. Education has ever since been regarded as a fundamental factor for human capital development. In response to this urge, government developed policy documents that sort to expand access to education for its citizens. It is internationally recognized that everyone has a right to education, as agreed upon at various international conferences. Kenya tried to take the declarations seriously by ensuring that children have free access to basic education. The introduction of the Free Primary Education Policy in Kenya in 2003, however, provokes analysts to offer criticisms on the same. We can try to understand the concept of Free Primary Education by raising fundamental philosophical questions that may help us reflect on the policy. Reasons for introducing Free primary education. As already introduced earlier, there have been good reasons for the provision of education for all citizens. The Kenyan government and other leaders believed that an educated populace will, among other things, be in a position to combat poverty, ignorance, and fight diseases. Inspired by these objectives and that of international concern, Kenya may be justified in its continued quest for the introduction of policies that seek to expand the education sector. Since independence, the country has witnessed an increase in the number of learning institutions. Literacy levels, especially, among the adults have increased tremendously. Educational services and facilities have spread all over the country ensuring relative uniformity in the levels of education among the people. Research findings revealed that the enrollment at primary schools has more than doubled and indication that people needed the service seriously. However, there have been significant regional disparities as well as gender disparities in the primary schools as far as access to education is concerned (UNESCO, 2005). This has been one of the major reasons for the  continued need for Universal Primary Education (UPE). This actually acknowledges that the need for free primary education is justifiable. With these as mental notes politicians used it to identify a powerful tool to include in their campaign manifestos. And in 2002, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) politicians effectively tapped the opportunity resulting in their landslide victory to power during the general election. Nature of free primary school Those who came up with the policy mush have thought out well the use of the terms that would sell the policy. In its technical sense, the statement meant the abolition of fees in all government schools as from 2003 academic year, provision of some learning materials to pupils, parents would continue to buy school uniforms and other agreed-upon levies, and that the funding of other non-salary expenditure comes in the form of grants from the government. However, with the political euphoria that swept the country then, the literal meaning of the policy was oversimplified to the level that it even confused further the actors in education. For purposes of wooing voters, politicians implied that the education of their children would be completely free of charge. Parents were the most affected by this assertion since by January 2003 they had no plans to incur any costs in the education of their children at the primary school level. The then Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) declared the FPE Policy in Kenya. The government and development partners were to pay fees and levies for tuition, meet the cost of basic teaching and learning materials as well as wages for critical non-teaching staff and co-curricular activities. Parents were then expected to facilitate the refurbishing of existing facilities. Any additional charges were to be approved by the government through the ministry of education. The complexity of the problem is heightened by the use of the word ‘free’. Free as a term in English means to be able to act at will, not hampered; not under compulsion or restraint to do something. It also means costing nothing. The term has other numerous meanings that differ under given circumstances or contexts. We may therefore even wonder whether education can be free or not. Is it possible to resist education incase one is not interested in taking it freely? If free is taken to mean what is supposed to mean in this context, how free is free? This term, therefore, may be ambiguous and is subject to misrepresentations and hence prone to misinterpretations. This is most likely to occur if little effort is made to clarify the meaning of the usage. Clarity is one of the most important elements of any policy so as to avoid multiple interpretations. Community participation The third concern here is the need to understand how the stakeholders in the education understood the policy. The policy was formulated without consulting those who are closely concerned with practice of education and those are teachers and parents. This resulted in the lack of clear guidelines for the implementation of free education as a government policy. The teachers were not adequately prepared to manage the influx of pupils of all ages. Little effort was made to in-service teachers and carry out seminars for the parents in order to prepare them for the great changes that awaited them. In fact, as already mentioned above, many parents had a general misconception about the meaning of ‘free’ education. Most of them thought that they were no longer expected to play any role in the running of the school hence they lost a sense of ownership. Since the local fundraising and voluntary contributions for schools, by implication, were abolished, communities also thought that they had no role to play in the running of the school since the government will take care of everything. This lack of proper communication becomes our major concern; from a philosophical perspective. This, therefore, calls for a sustained and comprehensive communication strategy for the policy if it is to remain practical. The policy should also clarify the sources of funding for the program, adequately explain the roles of various stakeholders, provide a framework for instilling discipline especially due to the age-variation in the enrolled pupils, and provide regular communication about the developments in the program. For a young graduate of less than thirty years expecting an old man like Mzee Maruga in class, it has effects on production and end results of the teacher. How ell prepared was the teacher to handle such age disparities among the pupils? This then becomes an enigmatic question. Logistical planning With the challenges facing the implementation of the FPE program, we may also investigate to know whether adequate logistics for its implementation were put in place. A well designed policy should be logically arranged from the point of initial implementation and the subsequent stages. This implies that the policy makers should be in a position to anticipate the possible risks and take precautionary measures to address them. However, from a critical analysis of the free education in Kenya, it is evident that little was done as far as ensuring the successful implementation of the program is concerned. A good policy is supposed to point out the possible huddles and recommendations for overcoming them. Poor planning has affected the program in many ways. One of the most obvious is shortage of teaching and learning resources. The delay in remittance of the funds and the its poor management at the school level has cause a serious problem where what is supposed to have been supplied is only there in record but not in reality. Even the research that has been done by the donor organizations, showed serious shortages caused by absence of what was supposed to have been supplied. Given that the managers, who in this case are the head teachers, were not trained on management of finances and how to make reports, advantage was taken quickly to syphone the same funds into their own usage. Overcrowding The other aspect is characterized by overcrowding in most primary schools due to increased enrollments and hence increased pupil-teacher ratio. In fact, congestion in classrooms has made a mockery of the rationale for the introduction of FPE program. The characteristic delay in the release of government funds only serve to crown the already created problems. It beats logic to cause more problems in the process of solving another. The report by the Development bank for Reconstruction and Development 2009, reported that, most communities did not bother to support the buildings of the school for they were assured that the government would do all. But this was not the case, most schools now look ike abandoned dens, where no human beings dwell. The buildings are dilapidated and now parents are withdrawing their children to private schools, and thus see the growth of private schools. The policy is also strict on any attempts by the school committees to solicit funds from parents. This has made them feel so constrained in their duties of managing the school owing to the cumbersome procedures required for instituting levies. Turning a blind eye on the potential threats accompanying such a sensitive policy as is FPE is utmost disregard of fundamental concerns. In addition to clarity, therefore, logic requires a comprehensive analysis of a policy like the FPE with an aim of identifying the underlying assumptions and the ultimate implications, especially upon implementation. This will ensure systematic implementation and timely solution of emerging issues. The government should make an effort to supervise the policy at the grassroots level. Up to recent most poor parents still belief that the promises government made at election time will still be done forgetting that much was election promise and once the vote is given all is forgotten. Even to increase the number of teachers as a basic concern has not been looked at. Why then should the government give people something that does not work? Too few teachers as compared to too many students results into poor performance, while the children of the able ones get better education in private schools. Education and social change Looking at all these aspects how can education be looked upon as the ultimate solution to societal problems? Although research findings reveal that there is a positive correlation between the level of education and economic prosperity, it may be a misguided opinion to believe that free education is the sole solution of social problems. This concern is related to the motives of introducing free education programs by the government of Kenya since independence. Pupils will still drop out of school due to other reasons and not for economic reasons. Holistic approaches as advocated by the international Universal Primary Education (UPE), therefore, should be adopted if education is to play a greater role in empowering the populace. Conclusion The challenges experienced in the implementation of FPE program can be traced to the uncritical design of the policy. Many political considerations seem to take center-stage during the proposal and formulation of such policies which end up creating more problems later. This implies that a clear and logical situation analysis should be conducted if meaningful policies are to be developed and hence ensuring their sustainability. The bottom line here, therefore, is the need to raise fundamental philosophical questions during the primary stages of any policy formulation in order to ensure that all concerns are dealt with in advance. That implies that good planning is required. This ensures logistical problems to be sorted out in advance, training be done of those who are directly involved from the grassroots levels. And in the case of primary schools, parents and teachers are to be explained to understand the role for each player. Unless the community is meant to understand it becomes hard for the policy to succeed. References 1. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (2009). Abolishing school fees in Africa: lessons from Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Mozambique: a publication of the World Bank in Collaboration with UNICEF. World Bank Publications 2. UNESCO (March 2005). Challenges of Implementing free Primary Education in Kenya. Assessment Report. UNESCO Nairobi Office.